MIKE Foster, left, warmed up for the education announcement by showing that he must surely have the quickest brain and fingers in Westminster.

For he managed to put out a comprehensive Press release on exactly what the Chancellor's pre-budget review meant for Worcester while Gordon Brown was still on his feet in the Commons.

The document, complete with a couple of hundred words of fluent quotation, even managed to point out the benefits it would have for the city's 12,900 pensioners and 11,877 families in receipt of the Working Families' Tax Credit, Children's Tax Credit and Child Benefit.

Now, given that spin is officially dead, we must take if for granted that Mike had no idea what Mr Brown was going to say in advance.

And the Labour Party has definitely, definitely done away with pre-prepared Press releases.

So how did he do it? I am an accountant. I have a good head for figures, he smiled.